


On the Edge of Paradise

by Arihazel



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Actor Alec Lightwood, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Australia, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Filming, Happy Ending, How Do I Tag, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Model Magnus Bane, On Set, On Set Romance, Sad Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:13:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26189287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arihazel/pseuds/Arihazel
Summary: In their respective fields, Alec and Magnus are at the height of fame, both are wanting a change from their lives they have built. They land the lead roles in Edge of Paradise, an indie film about two men who are abandoned in a jungle and fall in love.Unfortunately there's millions of dollars riding on if they can get past their differences. Acting has never been this hard.
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 34
Kudos: 80





	1. On your mark

**Author's Note:**

> Hello,  
> I'm Ari, this is my first time writing a story so please forgive any mistakes I make. I had the idea for this in my head for a while (as malec takes up most of my brain cells) and I figured to couldn't hurt to write down for something to do. I hope you enjoy it, feel free to let me know any feedback and again I'm terribly sorry for any horrible formatting or punctuation etc.  
> Tags will be updated as the story progresses as my brain has turned blank at the moment, I will hopefully be updating every week on Fridays.  
> Have a good day!  
> Ari x

‘Whenever you’re ready, take your time,’ the bored casting director barely looks up from his sheets of paper, there’s 3 other people in the dingy theatre. Magnus looks at the camera filming him and tries to center himself _You’ve been in front of a camera your whole life, you just have to act as well_ , his inner monologue is unhelpful as he logically knows modelling and runways are a whole other ballpark to getting a role in a movie.  
Unfamiliar with being vulnerable and knowing the casting director will look at his resume and judge heavily; Magnus looks down to his mark, shakes his nerves off and begins the script he was given.

‘I don’t want to be stuck here anymore than you but we have to find water or food.’ Magnus rasps his voice and slumps. 

The casting director glances up and says Adrian’s line, ‘No, we need to look for help. Find high ground and start a fire, someone must be looking for us.’ 

Magnus tries to embody his character, Spencer, ‘We won't get to higher ground if we’re dead, look, stop for a second,’ 

Mangus heaves a breath like he’s been walking in the heat for hours, ‘We don't know how we got here, we don’t know if anyone is looking for us and I’m tired- we’ve been in this fucking jungle for days and you need to think about the long game here, we need shelter and rest, please I can’t do this alone, please Adrian I don’t want to die in here.’ Magnus pleads while he conjures tears in fake exasperation  
The casting director calls cut, still looking bored, there have probably been hundreds of men in the room today reading the same line with the same tears.

Magnus thanks everyone in the room and leaves with low spirits, he has been auditioning for anything he can get his agent to send him but with no luck so far. He has been a model since his early teens, managed by his father, Magnus has set out by himself looking to become an actor. A notoriously bad idea in Hollywood is to switch professions once you’ve become famous, Disney channel stars aside there are not a lot of successful singers turned actors and even less models turned actors who were taken seriously.

Magnus is a born artist and while he’s grateful to have a nice apartment, in New York of all places and savings to fall back on instead of struggling for rent like most of the other actors who auditioned today, he feels like he could be contributing more than strutting down a runway where his hair is more important than his personality . 

Walking a few blocks to his apartment, he gets a call from his previous manager and occasional father, ‘Hello Asmodeus, how are you today?’

‘What’s this I hear you're not going to fashion week, I spent hours getting you the Versace show and Raphael says you’re unavailable.’ As usual, his father doesn’t exchange pleasantries and rather rips into Magnus with his angry tone. 

‘I’m very well thank you, I just got out of an audition and it went really well,’ Magnus lies smoothly, while he has put in the time to separate himself from Asmodeus there is always a need to prove that he can make it as an actor unaided. 

Asmodeus continues as if he hadn’t spoken, ‘So all my hard work wasted on a silly dream to be a movie star, do you know how much money goes into networking and finding slots for you to advance your modeling career?’

Magnus sighs, regretting not declining the call to begin with, ‘Yes Father, I’ve heard it since I was 13, again I specifically told you that wasn’t necessary as I’m not a model anymore. You’re off the hook, relish in just being able to chat to designers without having to slip my name into conversation hoping they might pity me enough to give me a spot.’

‘Yes well good luck in whatever big production you get chosen for as a 1 minute cameo or a best friend role in a romantic comedy because that’s all you’ll be good for in that industry.’ he promptly hangs up leaving Magnus staring at his phone in annoyance. He walks the rest of the way stopping for a coffee and is greeted by his new manager and best friend Raphael, ‘Asmodeus called’ in his usual prompt manner. 

‘Yes I just had a lovely chat with him, maybe he’ll back off for 3 months instead of 2 like last time,’ Magnus replies as he unlocks the door letting them both in. Raphael beelines for the sofa getting his tablet out to check emails, never one to waste any time. ‘So how was the audition for Edge of Paradise?’

Magnus stalls by looking for Chairman Meow who is usually under one of the various blankets strewn around his living room. He has a simple but eclectic style which is reflected in his apartment. Strange art and many plants embellish the whole open area space with only one bedroom at the very end of the rectangle loft. The Chairman stalks out looking annoyed at the disturbance and runs into the bedroom, ‘Traitor,’ Magnus turns back to Raphael’s expectant look, ‘Yeah okay they didn’t seem very impressed and I only got to do one line before they stopped me, I wouldn’t be waiting at the phone for any news,’ he said with a flourish which turned into a dramatic fall into the sofa. ‘I wish I started out doing this, it may have been easier.’

Raphael scoffs and rolls his eyes, ‘You would be homeless or dead if you started out in Hollywood auditioning with no money, you can barely cook.’ Magnus tries to feign outrage at that comment but doesn't have the energy. Raphael turns to him slightly lowering the tablet and awkwardly pats Magnus on the arm, ‘You’ll get there, you just need a chance to show the world your talent, other than pulling a blue steel look in avant garde.’

Magnus chuckles, ‘I _am_ great at that.’ Raphael goes back to checking emails and Magnus is left to ponder if he can survive much more rejection. 

  
Alec walks into a dim dirty theater where 4 people are staring at him expectedly, the PA introduced himself as Steve and said he was excited to meet him as he was a fan of The Riverfire Chronicles. Alec tries not to grimace while he shakes hands with the casting director Toby, the whole point of him auditioning for an indie film was to get away from the emotionally closed off action star trope. After 5 years of playing Flint Wells and being swooned over by hordes of tweens, Alec is looking to challenge himself and to hopefully avoid being typecast as a hyper masculine neanderthal. It was great to get his foot in the door but Alec’s parents didn’t send him to the top performing arts school to get him into big budget cinema. They were more interested in Alec reciting Shakespeare and sticking to traditional performing arts. 

_Hopefully an emotional independent film will tide them over for a bit_ , Alec thinks as he takes his place on the mark, looking up to the camera. 

‘Spencer, I can’t keep hoping that someone is coming to get us, maybe we should make the best of a bad situation..’ Alec rubs his head, the casting director reads as Spencer, ‘What do you want to get drunk? Sadly I don’t think there’s much beer in this place.’

Alec steps closer, ‘I mean, let’s just live like we want to be here, build a house, get to know each other….I- I like you and I don’t want to let my past life dictate what could be happening here.’ Alec looks sheepish and pleading while trying to imagine what it would be like ditching societal norms and baring his heart to the man he is falling for, hoping that it’s convincing as he’s never done either.

The casting director continues without emotion as his job is to just read the script, ‘Adrian, you have a wife and a fancy job, I can risk being vulnerable here while I’m constantly scared of dying in this goddamn jungle.’

Alec, if he was on set and had the man standing there would grab Spencer’s arm and duck his head to reach eyes, instead he wrings his hands and looks down then up with renewed (albeit fake) passion, ‘Let's take that risk, it’s been weeks since we got here, if we die in this place then our old lives won’t matter much anyway, right?’ 

‘Cut.’ 

Alec looks up and the 4 people taking notes talk in hushed tones until they finally look up say they’ve seen enough. Alec thanks them and isn’t too thrilled that he can’t show more of his talent as there was a monologue coming up. There's no use arguing asking for more time so he thanks them and steps out on the street. 

Walking into a bar Alec grabs a beer and tries to relax, he was intrigued by the script but in hindsight playing a bisexual man in an indie film was not his parents idea of class. They had spent an incredible amount of money on workshops, performing arts school and camps so he could become a renowned theatre performer. Alec honestly didn’t know what he wanted, The Riverfire Chronicles were a good way of getting his name out in the world but the dystopian style films were draining after a while, Alec wanted to portray hope and love, ironically, as he didn’t have much of either in his life.

While he sat in the bar a few girls came up asking for selfies, he obliged only because his manager/publicist Victor would ream him if he saw a tweet from a fan saying he was drinking alone and wasn’t nice enough to take a picture. He knew what he had signed up for taking on the role of Flint, but Alec couldn’t help but dream of being like the character in Edge of Paradise, able to start over and fall in love with a handsome man without all the strings attached to his current life. 

Chalking up his afternoon to a waste he began to walk home, Jace, his brother and reluctant PA was waiting for him to bring home good news. It had been 10 months since the press junket had finished for the last Riverfire Chronicle movie and they were both going stir crazy with the free time.  
As he approached his building Jace called down to him from the 3rd story window of the family brownstone, ‘Alec! You got a callback bro! Get up here. _Quickly!_ ’ 

‘What one?’ Alec shouted back but Jace had already shoved his head back through the window, maybe someone saw past his previous work and gave him a chance. Dreading it might be a B grade action movie Alec ran upstairs into the family room where Jace practically tackled him. 

‘I don’t know what you did at that audition but they want you in for a chemistry read, _tonight!_ ’

‘What? Edge of Paradise? I left like an hour ago’ Alec said, stunned.

‘They must have thought you fit well with the character dude, I don’t know, but you have to nail this run through, they’re filming in fucking Australia. We might get to go to Australia!’ Jace practically yelled. 

‘Slow your roll Jace, I don’t have the part yet and I might hate the guy they’re pairing me with, don’t pack your bags just yet,’ Alec said, ever the party pooper, Jace's excitement was addictive though and couldn’t help but smile broadly. ‘Do you know anything about them? Anything I should prepare for?’

‘Well… I didn’t get told any specifics but apparently he’s well known, like you, the casting director will run through the same lines you did today and they mostly want to see how you two work together, egos clashing on set can be a nightmare’ 

Alec rolled his eyes, ‘That won’t be an issue for me as long as he’s professional, christ I hope he’s not like Sebastian, honestly, who needs three PA’s?’  
Sebastian played the role of Rex in The Riverfire Chronicles and basically had an Oscar for the worst attitude towards anyone that didn’t have over a million twitter followers. 

‘Yeah yeah we know he’s a douche and he was a diva on the Riverfire set, whatever, he’s doing that remake of Ferris Bueller at the moment so it’s not him.’ Jace sat down on the uncomfortable sofa, designed by their parents to make the place look like a mini Versailles.

Alec laughed, ‘Yikes, that’s going to be terrible.’

Jace chortled along, ‘Oh yeah, he might have played a good Ed Rooney if they aged him a bit.’

Alec started making a sandwich in the adjoining kitchen, ‘Sadly we might have to wait to see him get mauled by a dog and covered in mud’ _One day_ , Alec thought, _one day_. He normally didn’t speak ill of his co-stars as everyone knew everyone in Hollywood but Sebastian was the exception. 

‘So this guy I’m running lines with is famous?’ Alec said as he added chicken and salad to his sandwich. 

Jace didn’t look up from his phone, ‘Uh yeah, I think he might be… well- I know that, um…’

‘Spit it out Jace,’ dread growing in Alec’s stomach. _Please don't say he’s an ex-pornstar or a mode-'_

‘He’s a model’ 

_Fuck_


	2. Get Set

_Please don’t let this guy be a dick_

Magnus enters the same theatre for the second time that day, it seemed more dodgy at night but he wasn’t about to judge when he was a few steps away from potentially being employed for the first time in months. 

He felt the nerves setting in as he approached the casting director who introduced himself this time as Toby who was decidedly warmer than earlier in the day. Thankfully Raphael came with him as support and to ask Toby more details on the script, location and timeline.

‘Our director got your audition fast tracked as we’re already behind on shooting, apparently finding a pair of handsome artists without any scheduling conflicts is almost too much to ask for,’ Toby chuckled in a stressed way. He obviously has a hard time finding the perfect fit and it all came down to how Magnus and whoever they picked for Adrian worked together. 

‘Right so we’ll be filming everything to see if there's some magical instant connection but no pressure,’ Magnus felt his stomach tighten at those words, he has always been charming enough to make friends with complete strangers but for all he knew they picked a pompous rich boy who hated models or anyone without a classical theatre degree. 

Toby, unbenounced to Magnus, opened up his phone camera and followed him onto the stage where there were about 5 people standing around. Magnus spotted a blonde stocky guy who carried himself with bouts of confidence and a cocky smirk, a man in an impeccable business suit with dark golden skin and calculating eyes. Lastly Magnus noticed a beautiful tall man with a bitchy resting face who looked ready to run, he looked slightly familiar but couldn’t place him.  
He walked up to the group and introduced himself, the blonde guy spoke up first basically bouncing on his feet. 

‘Hey man, you must be Magnus! I’m Jace, god I hope this all goes well, I can’t believe we could all be off to Australia soon.’ Jace shook Magnus’ hand who felt a tinge of disappointment, Jace wasn’t really his type but he seemed friendly enough without over-posturing masculinity. The whole _I’m a straight guy and while I might have to kiss you sometime in the future, don't get any ideas_ thing was on his top 3 list of things he didn’t want to deal with at a chemistry read. 

‘Hi I’m Magnus, it’s very nice to meet you. I’ve heard Australia is lovely this time of year but hopefully if today goes well we might be on a plane soon, Raphael hates flying so not all of us are as excited’ Magnus said gesturing to his sulky manager who shook hands with the 3 men and promptly walked off to Toby.

Magnus looked back over to the group, the business man standing next to tall dark and handsome took a phone call and Jace followed Raphael towards Toby, probably to see what lines they were going to run together. Magnus approached Mr Pretty with a smile, he wasn’t sure who he was but it was never a bad idea to be polite as he might be a producer or equally important part of the crew. Mr Pretty looked a bit startled and awkward as he shook Magnus’ hand. 

‘Hi, I’m Alec.’ he said curtly 

‘Well hello, come here often?’ Magnus decided to go for a flirtatious greeting in hopes it might break the ice a bit, unfortunately Alec seemed more skittish.

‘Uh to this theatre?’ Alec’s brows furrowed cutely, it was clear he was more on the innocent side, much less confident than Jace in conversation. Undeterred by the coldness Magnus pushed on, the likelihood of Alec being a PA was high seeing his gaze follow Jace closely. 

‘I guess you’re not a big theatre fan, I can’t say I don’t enjoy Broadway but this place could use a bit of a redecoration.’ Magnus looked around waiting for Alec to say something but he just shuffled his feet and stayed silent.

Magnus took that as a yes and further confirmed Alec wasn’t a big conversationalist, thank god he didn’t have to pretend to be intimate with _this guy_ surrounded by people if he got the part. Toby, Raphael and Jace were still talking so Magnus tried again with the small talk, he had a suspicion that Alec’s smile would be gorgeous and subconsciously made it his top priority for the meanwhile. 

‘Alec wouldn’t be short for Alexander would it?’ Magnus said, tilting his head.

Alec nodded but again stayed quiet.

‘It’s a great name, strong. Alexander the Great was a fascinating man.’ Magnus said, trying a last ditch effort with some inane trivia that was normally a good way to get the conversation going from the incredibly dry energy Alec was giving him. 

‘Oh?’ Alec perked up a bit, ‘I don’t know too much about it, wasn’t he, uh, a bit, horrible?’

_Finally_ Magnus nearly sighed in relief, actual words! He was strangely drawn to Alec as if the chemistry read was swapped and he was trying to get Alec to like him instead of Jace. ‘Most leaders in history were a bit horrible but Alexander’s less told story about his love for his best friend Hephaestion. It was quoted by Diogenes that Alexander was ruled by Hephaestion’s thighs in one letter.’ Magnus chuckled, his extensive knowledge of historical queer people was almost an obsession. Many of his friends said he knew too much about history, as if he was there for half of it. 

Alec smiled and genuinely laughed, ‘I can’t imagine why that wasn’t talked about in school, I had no idea. I have yet to be ruled by anyone's thighs though.’ Alec paled after speaking, prompting Magnus to mourn the loss of his beautiful smile. ‘I- er I mean-’

Clearly uncomfortable, Magnus decided to save him, ‘Well that is a shame, interestingly enough when Hephaestion died Alexander cried for days without food or sleep and had to be forcibly removed from his body, he also spent, what would be in today’s currency, around $200 million for his funeral and tried to get Hephaestion officially worshiped as a god.’

Alec widened his eyes, ‘Wow, he must have loved him a lot, did he move on from the loss?’ He seemed intrigued by the topic and Magnus smiled, happy that they broke through the tension. 

‘Unfortunately after he died Alexander’s health declined considerably, many chalk it up to grief and he died shortly after. Losing a connection like that must be devastating, after spending most of their lives together. Almost makes me wonder if it’s worth the struggle’ Magnus said quietly, looking down. 

Alec moved closer and relaxed a bit, ‘I think it would be worth it, one day with true love is better than a life with none.’ 

Magnus couldn’t break eye contact with Alec even if he wanted to, it seemed like everyone else in the room had disappeared. ‘That’s really well said, I don’t think I would know what to do with love like that even if it was right in front of me.’ 

Alec smiled again ‘I wouldn’t either.’

‘AND CUT!’ Toby clapped his hands together and put down his phone, having filmed their whole interaction. Magnus snapped out of his bubble of Alec and looked around confused, ‘What?’

‘That was amazing! I’ll send this over to our director but you two really have something there.’

Alec and Magnus looked at each other speaking in unison, ‘You’re not a PA?’

Magnus put up his hand, ‘Wait I thought I was auditioning with Jace?’ At the same time Alec said ‘I thought I was running lines with him,’ pointing to Raphael. Both Jace and Raphael looked like they were about to burst out laughing, a rare sight for Raphael. 

Toby frowned at one of the crew backstage, ‘You seriously didn’t tell them who they were meeting today?’ The young girl holding a tablet squeaked out some nonsense about how she must have forgotten. 

Toby waved her away, ‘Nevertheless you two seem to get along great, your conversation naturally went from awkwardness to a budding companionship in a few sentences, much like the characters you might be playing!’ He turned around to make a call while Alec and Magnus stayed frozen in shock. 

Alec spoke first, turning to Magnus with an incredulous look, ‘So _you’re_ the model?’

Magnus bristled in anger at Alec’s tone.

‘And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?’

Alec must have been a victim of a cruel curse in his past life.

Looking at Magnus with the newfound knowledge he was a model, he took him in for the second time. Seeing him walk in earlier was distracting to say the least, he was dreading meeting the model who would most likely be egotistic or unprofessional. He saw Raphael trail in after a gorgeous Asian guy who was dressed in a high collar long sleeved shirt and tight pants that accentuated everything Alec was definitely trying to ignore.  
Raphael was in a suit, which was a little dressed up for an audition but had an air of superiority that most models reeked of where they strut around expecting things to just be given to them. He instantly didn’t think they would work together and Alec’s walls were going up in a matter of seconds, it didn’t help that he barely said a word before going back over to Toby, probably checking the flights to Australia were first class. 

Alec felt his heart sink, he had really started to look forward to Edge of Paradise and was going to try and nail his run through despite his attitude towards models turned actors. 

He barely realised the man who was likely Raphael’s PA or agent talking to him. In a matter of sentences Magnus had drawn him in like no one had ever done before with a fascinating story about Alexander the Great. Alec had felt like ice water had been splashed on him when Toby had revealed Magnus was actually his potential co-star. 

Alec, still shocked, said, ‘Do you have any formal training?’ 

A little voice in the back of his head berated him for being so blunt but his career was on the line. Depending on if Magnus was a terrible actor and was hiding a ‘Sebastian-like’ personality streak was the make or break for Alec’s chance to do something worthwhile in the film industry. 

Magnus looked even more annoyed and there was no trace of the smiling glowing man he was just speaking with, ‘No, but I have plenty of experience dealing with elitist pricks,’ and promptly stormed off. 

Alec tried to feel bad but this was a temper tantrum he expected of a model who was obsessed with themselves and couldn’t take criticism. How on earth would Magnus take notes from the director, nitpicking at everything he was doing on set for 10 hours out of the day with that attitude? 

Toby came over, unaware of the hostility, Magnus was whispering furiously to Raphael on the side of the stage while Alec sat in one of the two chairs that were center stage. 

‘Alright, that’s been sent to the director but we still need to see you both in character, I assume you’re both off book?’ Toby said, adjusting the camera in front of the chairs. 

Alec briefly made eye contact with Magnus, expecting him to refuse and whine about the lighting or camera angle. Instead he rolled his shoulders back and approached the chair with a determined look. Alec barely managed not to roll his eyes, it seems he didn’t back down from a fight, but that didn’t make him a good actor.

Toby quietened the room and crouched in front of the irate pair, ‘Okay so we’ll be doing the lines from page 60, Adrian and Spencer’s conversation about their future. We’re looking to see if you can really channel your characters. We picked his scene as it most likely will be a close shot and the environment won't affect your conversation like it would in the zipline scene.’ Toby stood up, rounded behind the camera then clapped his hands again, ‘Okay and action....’

Alec decided to run with it, he wanted to show Toby he was the right choice for Adrian, if he didn’t try because of his lack of faith in Magnus then he wouldn’t be called back when Toby inevitably chose a different Spencer. 

‘Do you want me to stay?’ Alec said as he leaned forward, searching for Magnus’ eyes which were annoyingly beautiful.

‘No,’ Magnus said softly, not meeting his gaze.

‘Why?’ Alec scooted his chair closer until his knees were touching Magnus’, his gay panic going out the window while in character.

Magnus slowly looked up, ‘I can see my life planned out in front of me, I've always been alone, even with people around me. I see myself waking up one day and I'm going to be crazy.’ Magnus’ voice cracked while he searched Alec’s eyes, looking very convincingly desolate, to Alec’s surprise. 

‘Do you want to be or is this an inevitability?’ Alec was slipping into Adrian quickly, feeling adrenaline and his heart pick up imagining someone was actually baring their soul to him. 

‘I don't see myself being anything else’ 

‘Will you regret this later’ Alec was now in deep, Magnus was like a magnet, his eyes looked so sad and Alec was lost in them

‘Very much‘

‘I saw your drawings in the hut’ he said, grabbing Magnus’ hand, playing with one of the many rings on his fingers. 

‘And?’ Magnus squeezed his hand and managed to look a perfect mix of self conscious and hopeful. 

‘They’re unbearable, painful to look at.’ Alec forced as much pain into his voice as he could. Spencer's drawings in the script were described as memories of their time together in the jungle, scribbled on bark and hung about their shared home. Alec’s heart ached for tenderness like that.

‘Yeah,’ Magnus’ eyes welled up, looking away from Alec in shame. Alec instantly wanted to grab his chin and comfort him, thankfully the script allowed it. 

‘I love them more than anything,’ he leaned closer to Magnus resting their foreheads together.

‘Even me?’ Magnus whispered, his warm sweet breath ghosting Alec’s face. 

‘I don’t care that you might go crazy, we wouldn’t be alone anymore’ Alec said with conviction, pleading Spencer to stay with him forever.

‘You say that now,’ Magnus leaned back slightly but didn’t let go of Alec’s hand, a perfect way to capture Spencer’s worry for the future but hesitation to let Adrian go. 

‘I say this as a promise, my lovely lonely moon,’ Alec dragged Magnus back in to his personal space but this time rested his head on Magnus’ shoulder

‘Tell me again’ Magnus said. Alec felt Magnus’ tears drip onto their joined hands as Alec’s eyes began to sting. 

Alec sniffled with one last look at Magnus, voice breaking through the poem. ‘No one can feel your loneliness, as deeply as can I. A moon that shines for me, gone are the days, when you’d just stay, so close, smiling at me. Oh lonely moon, my lovely lonely moon. The moon is all I see.’ 

‘Cut.’

Alec was dragged back to reality, Magnus instantly reared back and got up from his seat, fixing his face. Alec looked around and saw multiple people with their mouths open and watery eyes. 

‘Wow, just… wow. That was everything we needed,’ Toby seemed to need a second to get his brain back online, as equally captivated as the rest of the small audience. He grabbed the camera and started yelling at someone to bring his laptop so he could fast track the read through to the director. 

Alec got a clap on the back from Jace, ‘Wow dude you were incredible, this might actually happen you know?’

Alec smiled, the scene went beautifully and Magnus was a revelation. Alec had never connected that quickly on an emotional scene and he felt like that was the best acting he’d ever done. He was baffled by how easy it was to talk to Magnus and bounce off his cues and body language. All negative thoughts of him being an ex-model went out the window, he had to work more with him and star in what might be the best role in his career. He ran over to Magnus who was quietly talking with Raphael.

‘That was incredible, you were so good! I wouldn’t have thought in a million years that it would click like that.’ Alec was surging with happiness, hopeful the director would see what everyone could feel in the room. 

‘Yes well I wouldn’t expect you to think a simple-minded _model_ could ever live up to your incredible formal training skills,’ he said coldly before walking off leaving Alec bewildered. 

Magnus went over and Alec heard him ask if he was needed anymore, he said his goodbyes and didn’t spare Alec a second glance.

Jace, who witnessed the interaction, came over to stand next to Alec, ‘You really screwed that up dude.’ 

Alec sighed, feeling a headache forming, ‘Yep, I really did.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,  
> Thanks for reading. I'm really enjoying writing this fic and I hope you're liking it so far.  
> Comments and feedback are always welcome, I'm going on holidays for two weeks but I have the chapters written already so I don't mess up the schedule. 
> 
> Hope you have a lovely day,  
> Love Ari x


	3. Go?

It’s been two days since the shitstorm at the chemistry read, Magnus couldn’t believe the gall Alec had, as if his fancy education defined how good an actor he was. Granted, Magnus enjoyed running the lines with him, it was easy to act and get comfortable in character when Alec seemed to embody Adrian so easily. He knew that the run through went well but he couldn’t stop feeling salty towards Alec and his infuriating rich probably closeted white boy act. Magnus practically had whiplash from the sudden change of Alec giggling to looking at him like he was an ant, not worthy of being near Mr ‘I have a Fine Arts Degree’. 

‘Raphael,’ he whined loudly from his kitchen.

‘No I haven’t heard anything,’ he heard the reply come from the couch.

‘Honestly I don’t care if I don't get it, Alexander would be a nightmare to work with,’ Magnus grumbled loudly enough for Raphael to hear.

‘That’s a lie, I saw you play Spencer, you love the script and it's the big break you’ve been waiting for. Who cares if your co-star is a jerk? You just have to build a rapport with him, make Alec realise you’re not a stuck up diva.’ Raphael stood up and made his way over to sit at the bar stools on the breakfast bench.

‘But who judges someone like that instantly, we were having a good chat and it was like he shape-shifted into a demon. How will we be able to work together if we’re complete opposites that inherently hate each other's professions?’ Magnus was now loudly putting away dishes in anger.

Raphael sighed, ‘One, as you remind me constantly, you’re not a model anymore, you can redefine yourself with this movie, you wouldn’t be Magnus ‘Supermodel’ Bane anymore. And two, you don’t even know if you have the part yet! Don’t rile yourself up over a maybe.’

Magnus deflated a bit, ‘Yeah you’re right, one of the crew probably saw our little spat and now they don’t want to hire either of us.’

Almost as if it had heard their conversation, Magnus’ phone began to buzz, he dived for it over the kitchen bench while Raphael did the same thing. They grappled over the phone for a few seconds. 

‘Raphael I swear to god if you don’t give me the phone I’ll stab you!’

‘Let me answer! I’m more professional than you,’ 

‘It’s my phone you ass!’ 

They were both now on top of the counter. Magnus bent his legs and pushed out into Raphael’s stomach while holding the phone in a death grip. Magnus managed to rip the phone out of Raphael's hand and was now running into his bedroom, locking it behind him. 

‘Hello, Magnus speaking,’ he said, heaving a breath, slightly winded from the quick wrestling match.

‘Hi Magnus, my name is Cat, I’m the director of Edge of Paradise.’ Magnus grabbed a pillow and squealed into it for a second.

Composing himself slightly he replied, ‘It’s very nice to meet you Cat, well not meet, speak to, uh, sorry.’ _God how mortifying, pull yourself together_

Cat chuckled, ‘It’s fine Magnus, I was calling to apologise for not being at the chemistry read the other day, I’m already in Australia setting up the location as we’re a bit behind schedule. I trust Toby to make a good decision and it seemed like his instincts were right judging from the shots he sent me.’

‘That’s quite alright Cat, I really love the script and Alec was great to perform with,’ Magnus said, outright lying. Being salty or rude about your potential co-worker was incredibly unprofessional, who knows, maybe Cat didn’t like Alec either and chose a more down-to-earth Adrian. _Please dear god, tell me you hated him_

‘Well the creative team were thrilled with the run through, we would like to offer you the role of Spencer…’ 

Magnus jumped up from his bed he was sitting on. His pillow was smashed on his face as he screamed into it, after a few seconds of freaking out he realised he accidentally flung his phone across the room. 

Racing to grab it without hanging up on the woman hiring him, he put the phone back to his ear, hearing Cat say, ‘-gnus? You there?’

‘Yes sorry, my phone slipped, that’s incredible news! Thank you so much, you have no idea how excited I am,’ Magnus breathed out, adrenaline pumping as he paced the length of his room. 

‘This movie is like my baby and I’m glad you’re as excited as I am. I’ll get the team to call your manager to set up a meeting about salaries, scheduling and all the fine print but you should be on a plane very soon.’ Cat sounded genuinely excited.

Magnus beamed, ‘That’s perfect, I just want to say how much I appreciate this opportunity. I know there’s a lot of stigma about casting an ex-model for a serious role but I’m going to go above and beyond to make Spencer exactly what you envision.’ _Now please tell me you swapped out Alec for Ryan Gosling_

‘I’m very happy to hear that Magnus, as for your previous work, you have the look we wanted for Spencer and there was a question on how you could be vulnerable in this role where modelling hasn’t asked that from you but the read through with Alec was just beautiful and we know that together you can both do justice to the script.’

_Cool cool cool so I got the part because of Alec, super, super cool_

Alec got off the phone with Cat and stood frozen for a moment. Jace waved his hand in front of his face, ‘Earth to Alec? What is it, did they go in a different direction?’

‘No, I got it. I’m playing Adrian and… Magnus is playing Spencer.’ Alec was still stunned, he was torn, he was so excited to try something new and redefine his career but Magnus’ face when he left the chemistry read wasn’t giving him much hope for their professional relationship. Alec somehow knew his saltiness was going to bite him in the ass one day. 

While he panicked about Magnus, Jace was belting out his joy at the top of his voice, grabbing Alec by the arms and jumping up and down, ‘Why are you not happier? This is incredible! _Fucking_ Australia, I heard theres nothing but hot people there dude.’

Alec rolled his eyes, ‘Stop thinking with your dick, you need to call Victor and ask when our meeting is with the team.’

‘On it!’ Jace ran out, while dialing his phone nearly knocking over one of the 85 vases scattered around the house. 

Alec went to his room to process the news, his room was tidy, he had a few decorative bits and bobs his mother had given him when he was younger. At the time he thought Maryse had given them to him as a kind gesture but the older he got he realised it was to make the room look nice for any dinner party guests that might take the wrong turn to the bathroom. Alec wasn’t really sure how he would style his room if he had free reign, maybe some cool art and a comfy chair to read his scripts on.   
Ideally he would have his own place as a 24 year old but all of the Lightwood siblings were still in the tight grip of their mother. Isabelle was away most of the time working as a stunt coordinator for a major film production company so there was no point in paying New York’s high rent prices if she was only in the city for a few days out of the year. Jace mostly operated on a schedule completely opposite to Maryse so he didn’t have much contact, the woman herself was away at a luxury retreat in Switzerland for 4 months out of the year (mostly to avoid Alec’s father) and was constantly at high society events when she was in the city. Still, Alec never felt like the brownstone was a home where he could be truly comfortable. 

He was excited to visit Australia, Jace had talked his ear off about where they were shooting. It seemed to be in a beautiful dense rainforest, which is great for the Americans visiting as they wouldn’t feel the ridiculous heat and humidity. Alec shivered thinking back to filming the second Riverfire Chronicles movie where there was a Mad Max style car chase in the desert, the sand combined with the heat in Egypt wasn’t his idea of a good time. 

‘Alec?’ Jace called from the lower staircase. 

‘In here, Jace.’ Alec went to sit down on his bed, grabbing a copy of the Edge of Paradise script and his laptop. 

‘Victor said the cast and agents are meeting tomorrow at midday at the Penhallow Pictures head office, I’m going to head out to, uh, book club. I’ll catch you later.’ and left quickly

Alec knew book club was code for ‘I’m going to go sleep with one of the 7 girls I’m talking to’ and waved goodbye. He logged into his laptop with the intent to look up fun things to do at their set location, there would be some downtime and Alec was a bit of a loner. He wasn’t big on making on-set friendships, he was polite and friendly enough to not get a bad rep but he couldn’t help but be wary of the cast and crew being overly nice as a way of networking. Alec didn’t want to open himself up to someone, get distracted from his work and all to have them ask for tickets to an exclusive party. He was very aware of how his name and status could have him manipulated, having seen his mother do it to nearly everyone she knows. 

There were some cool hikes he could do and before he knew it Alec was typing in Magnus’ name into the search bar. He had a wiki page, which showed Magnus grew up in Brooklyn, born in Indonesia where his father had them move when Magnus was 4 years old. There was no mention of his mother, some basic facts about where he went to school and he was one of the highest paying models the year prior. Alec went back to the search engine and clicked on images, bracing himself for photos of the beautiful man.

There were a bunch of runway photos of Magnus looking ridiculous in avant garde but it was the editorial shots that had Alec adjusting his pants. Magnus in more dressed down looks for a Vogue shoot had him in bold eyeliner, similar to how he wore it at the callback. He had on an open buttoned floral blouse and multiple necklaces, there were multiple shots of him posing at different angles, most accentuating his jawline and neck. Sweat gleamed on his chest where the necklaces hung, his golden skin was captivating but not as much as a close up of his face. Magnus’ eyes were golden and portrayed so much for a still image, Alec saw loneliness, wondering if that was Magnus’ intention for the shot, Alec moved onto his Harper's Bazaar shoot where Magnus was swimming with sharks, still managing to look completely at ease.

Alec shut his laptop and sucked in a breath, his pants were uncomfortably tight. He got up from his bed trying to shake out the intense feelings for the man. It wouldn’t do Alec good to be infatuated with Magnus on set, he needed to act like he was in love not like a schoolgirl with a crush. Magnus’ acting took him by surprise and he seemed friendly before Alec fucked up, but that didn’t mean Magnus wasn’t hiding a terrible personality. If he could cry on demand then he could definitely portray himself as something he wasn’t. 

Alec started stripping, deciding to have a cold shower to clear his head. He vowed to himself to not get too close to the man, there was too much riding on this part and if Magnus found out he was gay, well, Alec basically saw a ‘That’s So Raven’ vision where he is subjected to a life of being typecast as the gay best friend or a quirky serial killer. 

He let the cold water fall over his eyes as he fought off a headache, a little voice in his head scolded him for not focusing on being grateful for the opportunity and the chance to travel for work. 

Alec stepped out of the shower after a few minutes and dressed quickly, deciding to call Isabelle to tell her the news.

The phone dialed and Alec suddenly panicked, he completely forgot about the time difference as Izzy was in Spain, he was about to end the call when he heard her pick up groggily, ‘Alec, are you okay?’

‘Yes sorry I forgot about the time zones, go back to sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow.’ Alec said mentally calculating, it would be about 2am where she was.

‘No it’s fine, I’m up now. What's going on?’ Isabelle said.

‘I was just calling to tell you I got the part in Edge of Paradise,’ Alec said, still feeling bad about waking her up.

‘Oh my god, that’s so exciting. That’s the indie one in the jungle right?’ Isabelle’s voice was still hushed, he heard a door open and close.

‘Yeah it’s filming in Australia, I think I’m heading there in few days. I heard the door close, are you with someone there?’ Alec didn’t want to think of his little sister sleeping with anyone but curiosity got the better of him.

‘What? No. So Australia, that's exciting, I might be there for Comic Con in November. Maybe we’d be able to catch up’ Isabelle said, obviously changing the subject. 

‘Yeah maybe,’ Alec replied.

‘You don’t sound happy, what’s wrong?’ Alec could basically hear Izzy begin to panic, ‘Oh my god did someone out you? Are you sick? Is Jace sick? Did mum make you kiss a girl in front of paps?’

‘What...no it’s none of that, I might have insulted my co-star at our chemistry read.’ Alec said, rubbing his hand over his face. 

‘Did you have a good reason, was he like another Sebastian?’ Izzy said with a dramatic shudder. One of the main reasons Alec disliked Sebastian was because he was obsessed with Isabelle, she had worked on the first movie as stunt coordinator. Sebastian constantly asked her out then bad mouthed her to the producers when she finally told him to fuck off. She wasn’t invited back for the other two movies and struggled to get work for a while after. 

‘No, Magnus isn’t like that devil toad, I don’t think. He’s an ex-model and I snapped at him asking if he had formal training, he thinks I hate models and that I’m elitist.’ Alec said.

‘Well are you?’ Izzy asked.

‘Am I what? Elitist?’ Alec asked, confused. Izzy of all people should know he was pretty down to earth.

‘Look I’m not saying you’re being purposely prejudiced but it wouldn’t be surprising that you have some conditioned judgements from growing up with Mom and your theatre friends.’ Izzy said. 

‘Are you a therapist now?’ Alec jibed back.

‘Shut up, you know what I mean. You’ve heard Mom talk bad about A-list celebrities and influencers since you were born. Her constant belittling of the Kardashians has been going on for years now. Until Mom met a few of them, she thought they were trash bag, money hungry divas.’ Izzy insisted. ’That sort of childhood can make you instinctively wary of anyone Mom doesn’t deem worthy. Think about it, did you not get along with Magnus because he was rude and egotistic, or until after you realised he was a model?’

‘I thought he was friendly and kind, he had nice eyes.’ Alec grumbled.

‘Nice eyes? Oh my god you think he’s cute!’ Izzy squealed. 

‘No! Well like...objectively he is handsome..I don’t know okay! He’s a good actor.’ Alec was desperately trying to change the topic.   
‘Wait Magnus who was a model, like Magnus Bane?!’ Izzy said, voice rising.

‘Yeah...why?’ 

‘Holy shit! He’s one of the most influential models in the world! I’m so jealous you don’t even know.’ Alec could hear her jumping up and down. 

‘I don’t really follow that whole world Iz-’ Alec started

Izzy quickly interrupted, ‘So you insulted a talented, cute, ultra famous celebrity after he was perfectly polite to you because he didn’t have an arts degree on his CV?’ 

Alec started to wonder why he called her but she had a point, ‘I didn’t know who he was Isabelle!’

‘That’s my whole point, you made a snap judgement on this guy that wasn’t warranted because you look down on his profession and now you only feel bad because he’s wealthy and successful.’ Izzy demanded.

‘Oh my god, I'm turning into Mom,’ Alec replied, horrified. 

‘You need to make this right, Edge of Paradise is your dream job and it will get Mom off your back for a while. Magnus might not be perfect but you need to give him the benefit of the doubt. For your sake.’ Izzy ordered. 

Alec’s headache was at full force now, he felt so guilty. When had he become someone who thought he was better than everyone else. ‘I’ll try Iz but you have to admit there’s a lot of assholes out there that will be demanding star treatment and won’t take the work seriously. Magnus could very well be like that deep down.’

Izzy sighed, ‘Alec… that might be the case but this is an indie film right? He could be getting paid millions for posing on stage rather than pennies for sweating it out in the jungle. Did you ever think he might be just as dedicated to the work as you are?’ 

‘Uh no...I hadn’t,’ Alec replied, close to tearing his hair out.

‘You need to start letting people in Alec, if you obsess over these little things you won’t be happy in the long term.’

_I’m not even happy now_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you're all having a good week. Please feel free to leave comments and feedback, it's so nice to hear that people are reading along.
> 
> Have a lovely day,  
> Ari x


	4. Talk that Talk to Me

‘Good morning sir, what can I help you with?’

Magnus flashes the receptionist one of his signature smiles, ‘Hello darling, I’m here to meet with the Edge of Paradise team.’

The receptionist looks flustered, ‘Oh yes, you’re in conference room 3, Mr Lightwood is in there already,’ she said pointing to the hallway.

‘Of course he is,’ Magnus says sarcastically, ‘Thank you, dear,’ and walks over to the room where Alec, annoyingly, arrived even earlier than he did. 

Opening the door, he sees the same business man at the chemistry read, he introduces himself as Victor, Alec’s agent, then promptly goes back to staring at his phone. Magnus looks around and sees Alec and Jace, both wearing slacks and button down shirts with the sleeves rolled up.   
Magnus had dressed himself in a high collar polka dot top with a black vest and tight slacks. He had done some minimal eyeliner in case he was to meet the makeup department. 

Alec was staring at Magnus for god knows what reason, probably judging his outfit, like a dick. Raphel trailed in after Magnus and they both sat down. They were all 15 minutes early and Jace spoke up first, ‘Hey Magnus, good to see you. Congrats on getting the part!’ 

Magnus smiled at him, ‘Thank you Jace, are you excited for Australia?’ 

‘Hell yes, beaches, babes and beer. That’s my life for the foreseeable future.’ Jace said, taking a seat across from Raphael. 

Alec looked over and sat down beside him, ‘That and being my PA, right?’ giving Jace a disapproving look.

‘Yeah, of course but there’s gotta be some downtime,’ he said happily.

‘Well there won’t be much of it I’m afraid,’ a voice spoke from the door, there was a Asian business woman who looked like she could kill a man with one look coming through the door followed by four others, a smart looking man in his late 30’s, a woman who looked like a younger version of the woman who spoke earlier, a smiling boy who reminded Magnus of a puppy and a nerdy guy with glasses. 

The first woman sat down at the head of the table, ‘I’m Jia Penhallow, owner of this production company, this is my daughter, Aline,’ she gestured to the young girl, ‘Aline here will be executive producer for this film, it’s her first time being away from the nest per se.’

‘Hi guys, I’m really excited for this film and while it’s my first go at this role I have heaps of experience so don’t freak out,’ she said smiling tightly. Her speech seemed a tad passive aggressive to her mother. 

Jia motioned around the table for the newcomers to introduce themselves, next up was the oldish man, a heavy british accent tinged his words, ‘Hello, I’m Ragnor. I’ll be on set with you all as I am Director of Photography.’ Short and sweet apparently, they moved onto the puppy. 

‘Heya, I’m Jordan. I’m Assistant Director, helping Cat out and I grew up on the location so I know the place pretty well if you have any questions.’ Jordan babbled out in his Aussie accent all the while smiling like a loon. 

Nerdy dude was up next, he seemed incredibly awkward so he was probably a writer. ‘Hey, I’m Simon, I write- uh, wrote the movie. Edge of Paradise.’ _Bingo_ Magnus thought, ‘and yeah I’ll be on set just seeing my work come to life which might be odd but uh I’m doing it like that...yeah’ His face flamed, and desperately looked at Jia to save him. 

‘Well we all know who you are, Alec and Magnus!’ Jia said, smiling slightly, ‘Welcome aboard, we’re very happy to get this ball rolling. We’re here today to discuss timelines, budgets, salaries and your roles for this movie. Also for you two to ask any questions you may have. We also find this a good time for both of your agents to meet and use teamwork to their advantage when it comes to social media and PR issues etcetera.’ Jia pulled out two massive binders and placed them in front of Alec and Magnus respectively. 

‘Alright then, let’s begin.’ she said confidently.

2 hours later and Jia turned her binder onto the salary section. 

'As we keep mentioning, this is an independent film and the budget isn't as large as a huge blockbuster that I'm sure you're used to,' she said, looking pointedly at Alec.

'Nevertheless, we have your salaries outlined in page 340, travel and accommodation are obviously paid for and your PA's salaries also covered in this page.' 

Magnus bent over his binder and saw a decent sum of money, he was pretty sure they were trying to make sure they wouldn't walk out if they weren't offered a respectful amount and had probably cut down a lot of money in production for that reason. Magnus glanced at Raphael and began to talk in a low voice quickly, Alec was staring right at him and looked annoyed once again. 

Jia cleared her throat, 'Is there an issue with your contract? We're operating on a tight budget I'm afraid and-'

'No no,' Magnus interrupted quickly, 'I was just thinking how thankful I am that the team gave me a shot to star in such an amazing story and I was just running an idea by Raphael.' 

Nearly everyone in the room arched their eyebrows in confusion. Magnus continued quickly, 'I'd like to donate my salary back into the production wherever it's needed, I have a decent amount of savings and I'd like to invest in the film anyway I can to make sure it comes out great,' he said with a smile.

Alec looked very surprised if not still a bit bitchy, Magnus really couldn't read the guy.

Jia beamed at Ragnor who gave Mangus a thankful nod, 'That is a very generous offer, we can revise your contract with your lawyer if that is what you would like to do with your earnings. I'm sure Ragnor and Cat will be thrilled that they can place some more money into the film,' she said jotting down notes onto a writing pad. 

Ragnor nodded and looked the happiest he had been the whole meeting. Jordan looked like he was about to burst.

'I would also like to do that,' Alec blurted out. 

Everyone's heads snapped around and Jace had his mouth open like a goldfish. Magnus was happy the film would be getting double the amount but couldn't help but feel a bit peeved, it seemed a bit like a one up or a weird pissing contest, he pushed the thought away. His first impression of Alec wasn't great but maybe he genuinely wanted to help the film out like Magnus did. 

'Wow, that's very kind of both of you! I'll get the amended contract to your agents asap and that will give you a bit more time to think about it but we would be very appreciative. Having two successful well known faces in this film will certainly help the outcome of the film as well,' Jia said, still smiling. 

Victor cleared his throat quickly, 'What is your expectations for this film in terms of release and award season?' Magnus rolled his eyes inwardly, of course Alec's big shot agent would be sniffing out more good PR for him. The film was supposed to be purely the expression of art and love, from what Magnus understood from the script and his chat with Cat.

Jia didn't look bothered though, obviously expecting the question from Victor at some point, 'Well, we are operating on a low budget but that doesn't mean we won't be promoting at the full extent of our abilities, this is Magnus and Alec we're talking about. Their involvement in the film alone will get people talking, we have a press junket planned before the premiere and we will be doing said premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.'

Everyone looked impressed, independent films tended to open quietly in lesser known theatres but it seemed like Penhallow Pictures were pulling out all the stops, no doubt using Mangus and Alec's fame to get their company into a bigger league. 

Victor looked somewhat content with the news, 'Very well, I'd like to speak with Magnus'… team after we wrap up, mostly about publicity scheduling etcetera,' he said, being somewhat condescending. 

Magnus and Raphael nodded, Jia was happy with their contract discussions but decided to stay along with Aline to hear their PR discussion, to make sure it aligned with the company's vision. The other members of the team left, shaking hands with everybody. 

Raphael spoke first addressing Victor, 'What would you like to speak about?'

Victor faked surprise and looked at Magnus, 'Oh you don't have a publicist you want to join in? There's a phone here we can conference them in if you like,'

Magnus wasn't phased, he had a successful modeling career under his belt with only Raph to back him up. He valued loyalty and trust more than the desire to have 8 unnecessary people milling around him only looking to benefit themselves.

'Raphael here is my rain man of sorts, he can do everything and anything.' he said, confidently. 

Victor sneered but didn't say much else on his obvious attitude towards Raphael, 'I was hoping to discuss how we're going to spin Magnus and Alec's relationship for the filming and press junket. Our PR team believes it would be best that Alec distances himself from Magnus, as to keep his image of a well rounded straight male secure. Doing a movie where he has to act… in those ways would stir up questions and we would like to squash them before they arise.' 

Magnus should have known, the homophobia was strong with this guy. All of Magnus' hopes that Alec was doing this movie for the right reasons went out the window, he was clearly trying to gain more attention and be nominated for big awards so he could show off to his fancy friends. Magnus wasn't expecting to go pose in front of the paps, dry humping Alec everywhere so they could have a media frenzy. Alec coming forward, desperately convincing everyone he was straight as to not make people think he was a distasteful gay man as Victor implied, would hurt the movie more than it would help Alec. 

Apparently Aline agreed, 'I'm sorry but it's entirely up to Magnus and Alec if they want to be seen in public, there's nothing suspicious about going for lunch with a friend while filming. It's fairly common practice to appear single during filming and the press junket to get more people talking but we won't force either of you to appear closer than you actually are.'

Magnus silently breathed in relief, he had seen so many young actors hide real relationships and appear flirty with their co-stars to get the twitter-sphere conspiring about if they were a real life couple. 

Victor however didn't look too happy, and neither did Alec, weirdly enough, he was shooting death glares at Victor. Alec had probably asked Victor to bring up the issue in the first place and his tactic didn't work at all judging my Aline's determined stance to not let Alec and Magnus' working relationship get stifled from the get go.  
After a few more PR details to deal with it was time to go, Victor exchanged numbers with Raphael in case there was any issues in the future and they all parted ways. 

Magnus breathed the fresh air in deep once he got outside, there was 72 hours before he had to be on the plane and he had Spencer's lookbook to go through, lines to memorise and a lot of clothes to pack. 

Alec stormed into Victor's office after following behind him from the Penhallow Pictures office, 'What the hell, Victor? That whole team will think I'm close-minded and that I'm not taking the role seriously!'

'Don't be so dramatic, Alec.' he said sitting in his gaudy chair, pressing buttons on his landline sitting on the desk, 'this wasn't entirely my idea you know,' he said while the phone rang.

Alec was confused for all of 3 seconds before the phone picked up and he heard the dreaded voice of his mother, 'Hello Victor, how did the meeting go today?' 

'Very well Maryse, I have Alec here with me, he isn't too happy with the direction we chose for the PR stance.' 

'Hello Mother,' Alec said, wanting to bolt. He wished Jace hadn't taken the subway home, wanting to get a head start on packing. It would have been nice to not be outnumbered. 

'Alec honestly, this movie is beneath you, you don't have to act like an unsavory character to get respect from your more distinguished friends.'

Alec already wanted to rip his hair out, 'Mother I'm not playing this role to prove anything to anyone, I like the writing and the story and it will be a challenge. And the character isn't unsavory, he's perfectly nice and well rounded. You didn't have this objection when I played that serial killer a few years back.'

Maryse tutted, 'Yes, but he didn't have a distasteful lifestyle.'

 _Ah yes killing people is much better than being with a man_

Alec moved on from this old argument that wouldn't go anywhere, 'Mother, this is what I want to be doing and I don't want to undermine the film by insisting that I'm straight in every interview and alienating my co-star every chance I get.' 

Victor sat forward, 'Magnus seems professional enough but he's very clearly a part of a different world than the Lightwoods, he wears makeup and jewelry for God's sake. Just associating with his type will bring up rumours that you're a part of the same crowd.'

Alec rubbed his hands over his eyes, logically he knew if he ever expressed his real feeling his career would be over but he couldn't help but feel jealous of Magnus' freedom. He wanted to snap at both of them and get it over with, Maryse beat him though.

'Alec, we can't have any bad press with your Father running for Governor. If I catch a glimpse in the tabloids or twitter or anywhere for that matter speculating that you are involved with this Magnus man in a romantic manner I will have no choice but to find you a nice girl who will quell the rumours.' 

Blanching, Alec saw a startling image of him with a beard girlfriend fake posing for photos on instagram and eventually going into a loveless marriage. 'Mother, that won't be necessary, I still want to wait for the right person.'

Maryse scoffed, 'Well time is running out, you can't be single forever, people will start to think you're hiding something. I'm watching the press, Alec. Tread lightly in Australia,' and promptly hung up.

Alec rounded on Victor, 'Why the hell is my mother a part of this?'

Victor looked annoyingly calm and shrugged, 'She called me when she heard about the part going ahead, she had concerns and I'll remind you that your contract falls under your family name so she has the right to deliver advice regarding your career.'

'Yeah you fucking call that advice,' Alec muttered under his breath.

'What?' Victor said.

'What, what?' Alec replied nonchalantly and left the room quickly, needing a walk to think. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to connect with Magnus if he had to avoid him at all costs. Having a rapport with your co-star helped the creative process, they had the basic foundation set before Alec messed up at the run through. 

He had tried to amend his spectacular fail by extending an olive branch to Magnus by also donating his salary. Alec had honestly been touched by the gesture, further breaking down the idea that he was a money hungry egotistic influencer. When Magnus had seen the salary in the binder he had assumed it wouldn't be enough for the hotshot model and was going to demand more, thankfully he was pleasantly surprised. 

Magnus hadn't seemed all too warm during the meeting, basically icing Alec out entirely. Victor's bombshell with the PR situation probably didn't help as he had basically implied that Alec didn't want to be seen with someone like Magnus. On the contrary, seeing Magnus in the meeting today wearing another incredibly tight outfit made Alec want to climb him like a tree rather than avoid him at all costs, which would have gone over well with everyone in the room.

Alec hoped that Magnus didn't think he was a pain to work with and was regretting taking the role. Alec knew that Magnus could transform the film into a heart wrenching critically acclaimed masterpiece, they just needed to connect where Magnus could meet the real Alec. 

Alec snorted to himself, turning the corner onto his street, _Where better to convince Magnus he was a decent person than a enclosed metal tube where they would be stuck on for nearly 24 hours_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,  
> Sorry for being MIA, got back from holidays with some bad news so it took a while to write this. Not sure if it's any good cause my brain is a bit everywhere but I hope you enjoy it and have a lovely day.  
> Ari x


	5. I'm on my way, to misery...

'Flight 376 boarding at gate 40, flight 376 boarding at gate 40.'

'Magnus hurry up you don't need that many magazines, you'll be sleeping most of the flight.'

Magnus grabs the pile of magazines and food he picked up from the convenience shop and strode out to meet Raphael who was waiting impatiently, as usual. 

'I like doing the puzzles, and reading my horoscope. I can't just read one horoscope, I need more information!'

'I can't believe you're one of those people,' Raph says, shaking his head. He gestures for Magnus to follow, shifting his carry on luggage on his shoulder and dumping Magnus' three carry on bags back into his arms. 'It's all just made up bullshit.'

'Said by a typical Taurus, always so sceptical,' Magnus pretends to read Raph's horoscope by dramatically flipping the pages over and gasping, 'It says here you're really annoying and a buzzkill! Wow, this is scary accurate,' he says shaking the magazine.

Raphael rolls his eyes, 'I can clearly see the page is on who wore it best, not that garbage astrology shit.'

'Whatever, we're going to be late.' Magnus starts striding off ignoring Raphael's grumbles about not being the one wasting time.

They're stopped by a few fans that know Magnus and follow his Instagram, he lies and says he's doing a shoot as the casting for the film hasn't been released and it wouldn't be great if Magnus leaked any info on his first actual day of employment. 

Penhallow Pictures has gotten them on a commercial flight with first class seats, the novelty of first class hasn't worn off yet and Magnus is excited to get into whatever fancy pod the plane has and to be left alone. Boarding passes are cleared and they're going down the tunnel when he hears Jace talking loudly to someone around the corner.

'Dude, our seats aren't together on the flight. You sure you're up for talking to other people? You've done that before right?' Jace says, laughing.

'Yes, you dick. I have friends you know, my whole life doesn't revolve around you and Izzy,' Magnus heard Alec reply, sounding tired. He guesses Izzy is Alec's girlfriend, which is surprising cause Magnus definitely got a bit of a gay, if not bi vibe from Alec during their first conversation. 

They're all ushered on the plane and Magnus is seated next to Raphael. _Thank god, he'll say a total of 2 words the whole trip_ Leaving Magnus to enjoy his trashy mags and sleep peacefully. Looking around he sees the team from the contract meeting and a few more unfamiliar faces, he was told that most of the first class cabin were cast and crew but Magnus will have plenty of time on their first day on set to get acquainted. 

Raph settles into the lounge style seat next to him and promptly closes the dividing curtain without a word. Magnus shrugs and opens some gummy worms, while he flicks through his magazine he gazes up to the cabin and sees Alec staring at him. Caught, Alec whips back around and fumbles around with some earphones quickly. _Smooth_ Magnus chuckles to himself and carries on reading. 

About an hour into the flight Alec rises and goes over to Raphael. Magnus can hear him say he's having trouble sitting at his seat due to the person in front of him wearing a floral perfume that's bothering his nose.

'So you want to switch seats…' Raphael grumbles, annoyed that the movie he was watching got interrupted. 

'If you don't mind, I'll owe you one and it's a window seat too,' Alec asks politely.

Always a sucker for a view, Raph heaves himself up and collects his few items and goes to sit in Alec's spot.

'Hi sorry, my allergies are tempermental. I hope you don't mind not sitting with your friend,' Alec says, smiling. Magnus is instantly suspicious, where the hell did this friendly attitude come from.

Magnus returns the smile, 'It's fine, I was about to doze off anyway.'

He misses Alec's crestfallen face while he moves around to get comfortable, he prays to whatever deity that Alec wasn't a loud snorer or listens to death metal with the volume maxed out. 

He's about to turn his light off when Raph comes storming up to him, looking thunderous.

'Magnus, that idiot writer is...chatty. You've gotta swap with me,' 

Magnus is already snuggled up and he sees Alec peer over at their hushed conversation, 'Raph, just tell him to shut up.'

'I did, you think I wouldn't? I just want to watch my movie and he keeps telling me fun facts and I only sat down one minute ago! He can't even hear it for god sakes. Please, he might listen to you cause you're a lead' Raphael runs his hands over his face like he's in unbearable pain.

Arguing would cause more of a hassle, Magnus groans and sits up, 'You fucking owe me one.' 

He trudges over to Alec's original seat, 'Hi, Raph decided he wanted an aisle seat, do you mind?'

Simon nods happily, 'Nah man, I'm starting to think I smell with the amount of people coming and going. Hey, do you like Candy Crush? I can't get past this level-' 

Magnus holds his hand up, 'Let me stop you right there, I need to get at least 8 hours sleep on this flight so I don't get hideously jetlagged, so let's keep the talking to a minimum, okay Sam?'

'It's Simon,' he says, barely affected by Magnus' rant. 

'Whatever you say, Steve,' Magnus replies and pulls his eye mask down.

_Thud_

_Thud_

'Magnus?' 

'Maaaaaagnus?'

He feels a finger lift his eye mask up and Magnus has Simon in a wrist lock before he could recoil.

'Seth, you better have a good reason for waking me up,' Magnus tries to glare while blinking furiously, trying to adjust to the cabin lights. 

'There's turbulence and I'm afraid of flying and I need to hold onto your arm for support and maybe just distract me really quick before I have a meltdown,' Simon blurts out. Magnus, finally a bit awake, looks at Simon skeptically. Judging by the white knuckle grip on the chair, he wasn't exaggerating. 

'Saul, you need to take deep breaths. You're going to be okay, do you drink?' Magnus queries.

'What? Uh yeah, why? I normally drink some sugary pre mixed vodka stuff, mostly because I'm a small guy and I'm scared of having to get my stomach pumped or falling into a gutter so I don't really know what to order half the time. Do you drink? Probably right, you look like you've got life experience. I have none like _none_ , this is my first time on a plane and I didn't know I was scared but I am scared, oh god what if I die on my first plane ride. Just my luck,' 

During Simon's never-ending ramble, Magnus had waved over a flight attendant and ordered 3 whiskeys and had also opened some of his chewy lollies.

'Here, down this and eat that,' Magnus passes over a whiskey and some mint candy. 

'What does this do?' Simon holds the stuff out, confused.

'Alcohol will make you less worried, like you can take on the world. Chewy stuff distracts you so you don't notice the plane shaking because you're too busy picking bits of candy out of your teeth.'

Simon nods, taking Magnus' word as gospel. 'Thanks man, why do you have two whiskeys? Are you not a good flier too?'

Magnus sculls his first drink quickly then answers, 'No, I'm fine. One is to go back to sleep and the other…' Magnus grabs the second glass and throws it back in one swallow, 'the other is to survive this conversation,' 

Simon nods like he wasn't just directly insulted and Magnus prays he will shut up for the rest of the trip. He checks the time and sees he still has 10 hours to go, looking behind him he sees Raphael in his original seat looking peaceful and unbothered. Jealous, Magnus starts to look for an escape route. He spots the puppy dog guy from the meeting, awake and playing a game on his phone a few seats back. Magnus slips out while Simon, somehow already tipsy, laughs at something on his laptop. 

'Hey, Jordan right?' Magnus says, leaning on the chairs in front of him.

'Hey Magnus, yep that's me. You all good?' Jordan says while taking his headphones out. 

'Yes, I'm fine, I was wondering if it would be okay if we switched seats?' Magnus tries to come up with a convincing lie, 'You see the airflow in the front part of the cabin is really drying me out and I just really prefer to sit further towards this end so I can sleep better, you know?' Magnus cringes at the terrible excuse, he should have just gone with Alec's reason. 

Jordan doesn't seem to care, 'I don't know much about airflow but you're definitely a more seasoned traveller than me, it's no problem.' he says packing up his stuff and plonking down next to Simon. 

Magnus, finally sitting down turns to see his aisle mate is the older British guy from Penhallow Pictures. Magnus is fairly sure his name is Ragnor.

'Hello Magnus, I do hope the airflow is up to your standards back here,' Ragnor chuckles out. 

'Oh that was an excuse,' _Great, now the DOP thinks I'm a snotty diva_ 'I was sitting next to Simon and I really needed some sleep without interruptions.' 

'Yes that boy has the gift of the jab. No matter, I like my beauty sleep, probably more than you do, so you can relax,' Ragnor's mouth quirks up slightly and he goes back to his book lying on his lap. 

Bullet dodged it would seem, Magnus reclined his chair and finally got back to his silent slumber.

Alec looked over to where Simon was sitting, it looked like Jordan the AD had switched with Magnus and now Alec couldn't spot him. He didn't have any allergies, he had talked to Izzy about reaching out to Magnus and apologising for his behaviour. He did not account for Raphael hating Simon, which to be fair, was understandable and Alec's plan went downhill quickly. Raphael was a picky seat buddy, constantly asking Alec to breathe quieter and not 'excessively man-spread' as Raphael had called it. 

Hoping he could maybe switch with Magnus' new seat mate for the last few hours and get everything hashed out before they landed and started filming, Alec sat on his foot to gain a little height and swiveled his head around trying to spot a black mowhawk in the sea of less exciting hair. 

Raphael glances over to Alec and frowns, 'What are you doing?' 

'Huh? Nothing, just familiarizing myself with the crew,' Alec replied sitting down again.

Raphael grunted and flicked over a page of the book lying in his lap, 'You must be one of the only people who memorises people by the back of their heads.'

'Its an acquired skill,' Alec snaps back. He gets up and walks to the bathroom while continuing to look for Mangus, he sees someone in a purple shirt out of the corner of his eye which is blocked by the person next to them getting up and walking over, Alec vaguely remembers being told the strong gentle faced looking guy with dark skin is Luke, head of security. 

'Hey man, you done in there?' Luke questioned with an eyebrow raised.

Alec realises he's been standing outside the bathroom just staring for a while now, 'Oh yes sorry, the person next to me isn't my biggest fan so I needed a breather.'

Luke smiles, 'Fair enough, it's a long time being stuck next to a complete stranger. I'm happy to swap with you if you needed someone more relaxed.'

Alec nearly cries, he's fairly certain Luke is sitting next to Magnus and he was just about to give up and ambush him when they got to their accommodation. 

'That would be really nice of you, only if you don't mind, I'm at 13A,' Alec replies.

'It's no problem, you go grab your stuff and I'll have the seat cleared in 2 minutes. I still have to use the bathroom,' Luke says, gesturing to the toilet door that Alec is still blocking.

Moving quickly with a weirdly hysterical laugh and apology, Alec rushes to his now old seat and starts to collect his headphones and snacks.

Raphael barely looks up, 'Oh no, you're leaving?'

Alec just rolls his eyes and goes over to Luke's seat where the man is grabbing his belongings. 

'Thanks again Luke,' Alec says, finally turning to Magnus who is in fact not Magnus and rather a blondish white guy wearing a similar shirt to Magnus.

'Shit.' 

The guy widens his eyes, 'Wow I've never gotten that reaction before, did Luke draw something inappropriate on my forehead?'

Alec wants to smack his face on the overhead compartments, _Sweet Jesus do you want to burn bridges with every stranger you meet?_ Alec furiously scolds his lack of brain to mouth filter. 'No no no, sorry I thought you were someone else and I haven't slept and… I'm sorry, I'm Alec and I promise I'm not an asshole,' he stammers out while slowly sitting in the seat. 

'It's fine man, I think these long haul flights make everyone crazy, I'm Andrew but most people call me Underhill. I'm the script supervisor so I guess it's good we get to meet before the pandemonium starts,' Underhill grins.

Alec huffs out a laugh, 'Yeah better start out on good terms cause in a few days you'll be yelling at me for some sort of continuity error,' he jokes.

Underhill recoils looking horrified, 'You do that lot? Oh god don't tell me you've brought Starbucks onto a period piece and the editors didn't catch it,'

'Like on Game of Thrones? No way, that must have been gut wrenching to watch,' Alec is surprised how easy it is to talk to the guy. 

'Man, you have no idea,' 

They continue to chat for a while until Alec decided he needs a nap, he isn't even that disappointed that he didn't get to speak to Magnus. They should have plenty of time before shooting to talk and Alec ended up making a friend out of the strange Tetris he did with the seat swaps. 

'Ladies and gentlemen, we're beginning our descent.'

'Alec?'

'Aaaaaaalec?'

'Wha? Wassit?' Alec jolts awake to see Underhill trying to hold in a laugh.

'We're landing man,' He gestures to his window, Alec blinks and looks out to see a city next to the ocean, no clouds in sight as he spots the Opera House next to a bridge. The plane sounds the blinking noise and the flight attendants voice comes over the speaker announcing they need to put their seatbelts on. 

Alec breathes out deeply, excited but nervous. 

_We're here_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, a day late but I guess it's better than a month like last time lmao. Please feel free to leave comments with feedback or anything really, I'm happy to chat and I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Have a lovely day,  
> Ari x


	6. Welcome to the Jungle

They had arrived in Sydney and immediately got on a plane to a city called Cairns, the cast and crew then drove a few hours to a dense rainforest where they would be filming the majority of the movie and settled in for the night at a resort to start fresh and early for the first day of shooting. Magnus had excused himself, opting out of a big team dinner to beat the jetlag that was hovering over his head. 

Their accommodation was cute spacious cabins in the forest where, thankfully, they each got their own rooms. Magnus was flicking through his copy of the script when he heard a tap on his door.

'Yeah?' he called out.

Raphael opened the door and handed him a stack of papers, 'These are final choices for makeup and wardrobe. Daily schedule and a map of location. There's not much press this far up here but once the casting gets announced I'm sure someone will connect the dots and it'll be harder to go out without fans and paps everywhere. You're under strict 'no public groping of one night stands or intoxication' rules,' Raph ranted, looking stern.

Magnus rolled his eyes, 'Please, I'm entirely focused on the job, I promise I won't cause a scandal until after the press junket.'

Raph crossed his arms, 'Or you could make my life easier and not cause a scandal at all.'

Magnus grinned wickedly, 'I've got to keep you on your toes though.'

'Whatever, I'm going to sleep. Call time is 5am so I suggest you get all the beauty rest you can,' he said while walking out the door.

Magnus hummed distractedly, despite the early call time it looked like he would be at breakfast then wardrobe along with hair and makeup until 9, leaving plenty of time to nap while his hair was being sorted. 

They were filming the movie semi-chronologically, the start and end of the film would be shot in Canada as the character's homes are both based in Western cities while the entire middle part of the movie that is based in the jungle would be shot in the order of how the movie would be edited. Which was good news for the actors, having to shoot an emotional climactic scene with no prior build up isn't too fun. Magnus liked being able to follow the character on the journey to properly connect. 

Magnus read through the map and lookbook for the next day, happy with everything and having memorised most of the content. Magnus snuggled into bed after putting an alarm on and drifted off, excited for the coming day. 

A circus, that was the most apt description for what it was like at a film base camp. There were dozens of white trailers and vans parked in a massive field a few hundred meters from where the set was. Big tents and people running in and out with huge equipment was the most circus-y part along with the frantic energy of most of the crew. 

Magnus was being led from the breakfast buffet he was currently stuffing his face with, to hair and makeup when he nearly ran smack dab into Cat, the director. 

'Magnus!' Cat smiled while taking Magnus' hand and shaking it excitedly. 'It's so nice to finally meet you, I'm sorry we missed you at the dinner last night.'

Magnus laughed nervously, he hadn't realised Cat and the rest of the team we're going to be present or he would have stayed longer. 'Yes sorry about that, I wouldn't have wanted your first impression of me to be jet-lagged and grumpy. I was dead on my feet after the flight.'

Cat waved off the apology, 'No worries at all, I'm just so glad this is finally happening. Now, you get over to hair and makeup, I think Alec is in there already and we'll see you on set!'

Magnus said goodbye and trotted off to the makeup trailer, this was the third time Alec had been earlier than him and he was starting to get annoyed in a childish petty way. 

Hair and makeup was always a highlight for Magnus, doing his own makeup was fun but when he sat down in the swivel chair and had four people surrounding him with brushes, he felt at peace, like he was a canvas in a studio. He knew and respected the art more than most so he made sure he prepped his skin properly before arriving.

'Morning!' he called out, popping his head through the door.

'Oh. My. God. You're Magnus Bane!' 

Magnus climbed into the trailer to see the woman who spoke, she seemed in her late twenties and had a soft kind face. 

She continues rambling, 'We used so many of your photos at my makeup school, you're a legend! Your interview on breaking down gender roles with the shoot of you in heels and of course your signature eyeliner look is just incredible.' 

When she stops to finally take a breath, Magnus smiles and spots Alec who looks bewildered at the woman's rant. 

'I'm sorry dear, you apparently know everything about me but I don't even know your name.' he steps forward to shake her hand.

'I'm Dorothea, Dot. Most people call me Dot but you can call me anything you like.' 

Still shaking Magnus' hand like she's in a trance, Magnus pulls back, 'Well it's lovely to meet you, I look forward to working with you. I must say I enjoyed the reference pictures for the type of makeup, not too bold but it's not completely bare. At least in the Canadian scenes,' he chuckles, in the rainforest, his makeup will likely be dirt, grime and more dirt in increasing quantities. As much as Magnus would like to believe he would still rock glitter eyeliner while stranded in the wild, Spencer wasn't the sort of character that carries an assortment of cosmetics like Magnus does. 

Dot seemed to have calmed down a bit and was now talking a mile a minute with Alec about how droopy his hair should be for the first scene. Alec seemed to have no clue what she was saying and looked increasingly annoyed.

'I don't know why you're asking me, isn't this your job?' Alec snapped after Dot had started asking about colour correction for his dark circles. Which were remarkably more pronounced than when Mangus saw Alec last. 

Dot looked taken aback, then steeled herself. All traces of the fan girl and chatty makeup artist were gone, 'Just like it's your job to get enough sleep to be able to go into this shoot with more than one brain cell and maybe a decent attitude, heaven forbid.'

Alec was silent for a moment, Magnus wasn't sure where he stood. To be fair to Alec, barring his snappish attitude, he had a point. He wasn't required to know anything about hair and makeup and sometimes it's better to have no opinion than insisting on the wrong one. Magnus has seen a lot of photoshoots gone awry because the model insists that a pitch back smoky eye made her look sexy for a lavender field location. Magnus shudders internally and focuses back to Alec who, as usual, seems to be having trouble figuring out what to say. 

'Look, Dot, I'm sorry. I had terrible sleep and I'm nervous about today and I didn't mean to be rude. I really am terrible with this sort of thing and I think it might be better if you just do whatever you think is right because I genuinely won't know any difference.'

Dot squinted at him for a moment, 'Okay so when I say I'll be doing clown makeup for the romantic finale…'

Alec grinned up at her, both seeming to be in better spirits, 'I'd say let's do it. But no bleaching my eyebrows, I think that's in my contract,' he said, laughing along with Dot. 

Magnus was impressed, it seemed Alec had some social skills and handled the situation well. Dot went on to do some light makeup to cover his eye bags and trimmed his beard. 

'Your beard is going to get longer and more scruffy further into the film. You'll be sporting a 5 o'clock shadow in the Canada scenes as it's the start and the end. Business guy at the start and when you're 'back home' it'll look like you've cleaned up after your traumatizing time in the jungle.' Dot says as she works.

Alec nods, 'Gotta impress Spencer when they meet for the finale.'

Magnus pipes in, wanting nice Alec to stay. 'Yep, Spencer needs to know Adrian isn't a cave man who hunts and eats small wildlife.' 

Alec looks his way, trying not to move his head as Dot is applying a small scratch to his cheek, 'Exactly, I've never been in a role where we have to fake eat a fake animal which I've recently fake killed.'

'I haven't either, hopefully it will be something mangled looking but tastes like pizza,' Magnus chuckles, delighted their conversation isn't as tense as it's been previously. 

Dot, who's nearly finished, speaks up, 'From what I've heard it's like a dyed gelatine to replicate flesh, not pleasant. And you have to spit it when they cut the scene.'

Magnus and Alec both turned to look at each other with looks of horror. Dot started giggling at their faces, 'It shouldn't be too gross, I'm sure if you ask for craft service to bring a pizza later they would be happy to oblige.' 

Alec still looks a little ill, 'I'm not looking forward to that day.'

Magnus agrees with him and settles back in his chair with a book. He is pleased with how the morning is going, there's a few people working on his hair so he is as close to nirvana as he can get. Alec is a mystery to him, when he was rude and arrogant the previous times they had spoken it seemed it was directed at Magnus and his whole essence of who he was. Maybe Alec was more chill when he was at work, no personal talk. Magnus could work with that, he could remain professional and detached from his natural inclination to make friends with everyone he came across. They just had to fool the cameras. Of course, Magnus would prefer to have some semblance of a relationship when the embarrassing sex scenes came around but he's nothing if not adaptive. 

Once makeup and hair was done, they both got told to report to the wardrobe department with a stern warning from Dot about not messing up their hair or makeup which would end in strangulation. 

The walk was short and as Magnus was about to open the door, he felt Alec's hand on his arm.

'Magnus, I wanted to speak with you quickly.' Alec said, shifting on his feet worriedly.

'Go ahead,' Magnus said, stepping back from the trailer and bracing for yet another insult to his upbringing. 

'I wanted to apologize for my behavior, I haven't treated you kindly and it was wrong of me to judge and assume what type of person you are. It seems like I'm more of an asshole than I thought and I'd really like to start over.'

Magnus, while shocked, is pleased. 'I'm willing to look past your snap judgements for the sake of the movie. This will be no fun if we're annoyed at each other for the next two months. I can happily remain professional and friendly and you won't have to deal with me outside of our work hours.'

Alec looked startled and quickly interjected, 'Oh, I-'

Magnus sighed, 'Look, I know you don't think much of me and that's fine. I'm perfectly content with who I am and I don't need you to be my best friend to get through this movie. Now if we do our takes to the best of our ability. I don't see any reason we can't be civil.'

Alec's face still looks pinched, as though the thought of treating Magnus as his equal was like eating sour candy, 'That's fine, yep, that's all I wanted.' 

'Great, see you in there partner,' Magnus said as he spun on his heel and entered the wardrobe trailer. 

Alec felt like he had whiplash. He had wanted to get to know Magnus, be his friend, it seemed past-Alec was back to haunt him where he had irreparably damaged his relationship with the man and now all Magnus wanted was to be cold work acquaintances. They had laughed in the makeup trailer after Alec's fuck up, one more to add to the pile. Maybe when he finally ran out of energy and his career needed to be sealed off with a book, it can be called 900 Fuck Ups, How to Alienate Everyone in Your Life.   
Better that than the world's most boring autobiography. Born and raised in New York, grew up in wealth, painfully closeted. Yeah, that's never been told before. 

Alec shakes himself out of his shame spiral and walks into the trailer and promptly tries to walk out. Magnus is there, shirtless, surrounded by beautiful people and Alec's brain is torn between staring creepily until he has to hide his boner or run away, bleach his eyes and become a priest. How the hell is he going to do a sex scene with this guy?

Alec tears his eyes away before Magnus notices and nearly runs into a man with long hair and a flowery face tattoo. 

'Hello, you must be Alec, our Adrian in the flesh. I'm Meliorn, in charge of costume design.' He has a soothing quiet voice, almost hypnotic. 

'Hi…' Alec doesn't know what to say and he desperately searches for normal human words. 

Meliorn smiles like he can read Alec's mind and directs him over to a rack with a label 'Adrian' on the top. 

'So 90 percent of the movie is just you two in the jungle, which makes my job easier as I don't have to dress a cast of 100. We have the same suit in different stages of distress. You ditch the jacket about a quarter in to make a blanket out of it, then a makeshift tent. Your boring blue shirt gets more torn and dirty as you progress in the film. We've made all of the stains identical after they first appear so we can make sure there aren't any continuity errors.' Meliorn had taken off a suit with a light dusting of dirt and a small rip in the knee, nothing too ragged, very much like he had been teleported into a jungle but didn't have time to get properly gross. It lined up perfectly with the scenes they were shooting today 

Thanking him, Alec went to get changed with extreme caution to his hair. The door opened again and a small redhead came in holding folders and looking flustered. Must be a set PA. 

'Are you both ready? We need you in a golf cart heading to location in 5 minutes, there's gazebos set up where you can sit between takes but no trailers until you get back here to homebase. So eat if you need to and then move! I'm Clary by the way, I'm in charge of your day to day schedules and helping wherever else I can with the crew.' she rattled off the long rant, while barely looking up from the sheet of paper in front of her. While she was talking, Magnus rounded the corner and was having the final touches added to his outfit. 

He was dressed in tailored slacks and a checkered business shirt under a long sleeved henley type sweater. He looked dorky and plain compared to his usual clothes but it was apparently impossible for him to look bad because Magnus still seemed a perfect picture of sexy confidence. 

'Nice to meet you, Clary. I'm ready to go, as is Alec I believe?' Magnus said, straightening his shirt.

Alec nodded and they quickly piled into the golf cart. It was _finally_ time to shoot, the sun was high and hot but blocked by most of the canopy. Alec steeled himself, getting into character. Thinking of what Adrian would be thinking, but all Alec could hear in his brain was a loud rendition of Welcome to the Jungle. Surely it wouldn't be a sign. 

It was a sign. Filming went okay, Cat was nice and Magnus was focused. It was fun, then Jace rocked up to the location, promptly flirting with anything that moved. Mostly the redhead, Claire? Cleapy? Crab? Whatever, Alec felt neglected. He was dehydrated, tired from his fitful sleep and mad that he felt Magnus was doing a better job than him. It was evident that they both were highly competitive and took their characters seriously. 

When they finished a scene where they had a heated argument, they had managed to get it shot in one take because it was so convincing. They both had to sit alone for 5 minutes to calm down. Alec is still amazed at how good an actor Magnus is, he should stop being surprised any day now. It shows how asshole-ish Alec is that he continues to doubt the man. 

He also wants to clone Raphael like something fierce. Minus his personality, so maybe just a deep voiced, debonair robot without the tendency to talk back. He was always watching and supporting Magnus, he knew when he needed a break or a water or an energy bar. It was endlessly frustrating. 

Looking over at Jace, fruitlessly trying to bone Crabby. Alec groaned and tried to roll the tension out of his shoulders, he was perfectly capable of getting his own stuff but they were in the middle of a quicksand scene so Alec had to keep one foot in fake quicksand and not move while they set the cameras up. Continuity was important and it wasn't a closed environment so it was near impossible to get the scene identical if Alec moved, his foot no doubt spraying gooey slime sand everywhere. Underhill would kill him if he messed up the set so he was stuck, half kneeling in a ditch.

He felt something hit the back of his head and saw a granola bar, then quickly jolted as he saw a water bottle fly at him too. Raphael cackled from a few meters away, he had only fake thrown it but Alec still startled which apparently was the peak of comedy to the broody man. 

'I'm not your servant so this is a one time offer for my services.' he said, bending down to hand Alec the bottle. 

'Thank you!' Alec said, twisting open the cap like a madman.

While Alec downed nearly the whole bottle, Raphael glanced at Jace, 'You should put a leash on your puppy there, he does know he gets paid to look after you and not the head assistant.'

Alec nodded, 'I think he's just excited, I'll sort it out. Thank you for the water and the snack. I'll make sure you won't have to be my servant again for the rest of the trip.'

Raphael grunted with a small smile and stood up fully, 'Well it wasn't my idea, Magnus is getting some sort of injury glued onto his arm for the next take. So he couldn't deliver personally,' he said with an eyebrow raise then walked off. 

_Huh, work colleagues are certainly friendly here_ Alec thinks, suddenly not bothered by the heat or his trapped sandy foot. 

Welcome to the Jungle, indeed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello'  
> It's been a while, had lots going on but I've not time now so I'll be posting regularly again. Please feel free to leave feedback as I don't talk to many people and it's always nice to read and be able to talk.   
> I hope you enjoy, have a lovely day!
> 
> Love,  
> Ari x


	7. fuck a bus pass, you've got a moped man

"We're done for the day guys, let's head back to base.' 

Cat then goes to pick up her laptop while Dot comes up to Magnus. He's tired but buzzing with energy, the day was long and hot but it went really well. 

"A few of the crew are heading to the bar on the beach later on, wanna join?' Dot says, looking hopeful. 

Magnus smiles, loving the invitation, hopefully meaning the crew likes him which is better than the alternative.

"Sure! I'll just shower and meet you there?" Magnus replied, waving over Raphael and grabbing his bag.

They both nodded and set off in a shuttle, Magnus spots Alec and jogs over.

"Good work today." 

Alec smiles, "Thanks, you were great."

Magnus flapped his hand in dismissal, "Dot wanted to grab drinks later, do you want to come?"

Alec, as usual, looked awkward and shifted his weight, "Uh thanks but I don't want to intrude."

He grabbed his bag and started to leave.

"Wait, you wouldn't be-" Magnus called out but Alec was already on the bus. 

Magnus was struck with a pang of sadness for Alec but shrugged it off, the man was in his late twenties, it wasn't Mangus' job to comfort the guy who he hadn't had a civil conversation with until that morning. 

Magnus jumped on his own bus and they rattled away back to the resort.

The bar was on the beach and there were about 50 people milling around on the sand, both sitting on the sand and walking watching the sunset. 

Dot was holding two cocktails gesturing with her head where Magnus spotted the crew, Raphael had tagged along and went up to the bar. Magnus didn't bother following, Raph knew his favourite drinks and would get him one. He saw an empty spot on the ground and smiled around to the people gathered. The group consisted of Dot, Jordan, Simon, Clary, Jace, Underhill, Meliorn and Aline. 

Magnus looked out to the water, surprisingly empty, "Why isn't anyone swimming? There's normally surfers at least."

Jordan smiled and leant over, "Because it's infested with crocodiles, they sneak up on you. Swimming isn't allowed."

Jace chuckled,"Go on, you can get a crocodile tooth for your necklace collection."

Magnus leveled Jace with an unimpressed stare, "I'm game if you are."

Clary piped up, looking worried, "No no, this is going to end terribly. Two drunk guys having a pissing contest never goes well."

Magnus fake ponders for a moment, "Well I am exceptionally competitive but I'm missing the key ingredient to make that a possibility." 

Simon looked grossed out for a moment, "What? Piss?" 

Magnus rolled his eyes, "Alcohol, Shawn. Alcohol." Raphael then appeared shoving a martini in his face.

Thanking Raphael, Magnus settled in listening to Jordan spew a fun fact about piss being a slang term for alcohol in Australia and laughing at Underhill's retort saying it's probably because Australian beer tastes just like pee. Which sparked up a lively debate about how Underhill would know what it tastes like. 

Magnus doesn't judge so he spaces out from the bickering conversation and looks out to the water. He's never been fond of large bodies of water thanks to *trauma* and suddenly feels like crawling out of his skin. He stands up and announces he is going to go on the nearby boardwalk. 

"Oooh, can I come?" Simon asks hopefully. 

"Yes but remember Shelby, silence is your friend," he replies, noticing that Raph also stands, probably already bored. 

They say their goodbyes and head off. 

Simon is on his way to talking Raphael into an early death when Magnus spots a shop down the road that hires out mopeds. 

"Yes! Raph, remember Italy? We have to take one for a spin," Magnus says, interrupting Simon spewing something about essential oils. 

Raph seems to be happy enough to get on a vehicle that will quite literally let him drive away from Simon so he doesn't protest, despite it getting dark. 

Magnus is already trotting over to the shop, ignoring Simon's garbage about mopeds being like heavy skateboards and recalling a time where he broke his arm as a kid. 

The owner is polite and their resort has a shack where they also sell from so they don't have to drive back. Sold, Magnus gets a two for one deal. Waiting for Simon to get his own. 

"Uhh, aside from the fear of driving that deathtrap, I'm actually quite tipsy so I can't drive."

Raphael rolls his eyes, "You must have been at the bar for an hour tops, how much did you drink?"

"I am a small person okay and I didn't drink until I was 25 so my tolerance isn't great," Simon protests, swaying slightly. 

"Okay, whatever. See you tomorrow." Magnus straddles his moped, putting his helmet on. 

"Wait! It's getting dark and there's killer animals out there, can't I just double with one of you?" Simon says, walking towards Magnus, foolishly thinking he's the nicer of the two. 

As he stumbles towards him, Magnus revs the moped and speeds away, laughing at Raphael's shouted protest. 

As he drives, Magnus breathes in deep. The air is much cleaner and crisp than New York, he likes the rainforest but misses the noise from the traffic and the many people yelling at everything and nothing. 

He cruises for about 10 minutes up the hills that bank the shoreline and stops when he spots a group of wild pigs on the road up ahead. Magnus laughs at the strangeness and watches the little baby pigs run after the parents. 

"What are you doing?" 

"AAAH," Magnus barely keeps the moped upright after startling so hard he basically jumped a meter in the air. He turns to see Alec, sweaty and puffing. Clearly just come from the walking track off to the side of the road. 

Alec is also dying laughing, much to Magnus' annoyance. He glares at him while clutching his chest, trying to starve off the cardiac arrest. 

"Fuck you, I thought I was about to get axe murdered."

Alec laughs harder, "You looked like a cartoon that got startled and flies into the air."

"Like scooby-doo? You're an asshole." Magnus starts laughing too, knowing how stupid he must have looked. 

"So what were you doing?" Alec asks when they calm down.

Magnus gestures to the road, "There was a family of pigs crossing the road, it was cute."

Alec walks closer, trying to catch a look. 

"They're gone now but I like to think they have a routine and go for a walk home when it starts to get dark." Magnus says, leaning more comfortably on the moped. 

He looks to the sky, it's getting dark earlier than he's used to, it's barely 6.30pm. "Do you want a lift back? I doubt you can get back before it's dark and there are spooky creatures out there." 

Alec contemplates for a moment, seemingly weighing up if he's too manly to ride a moped behind another guy. 

Magnus rolls his eyes, "Come on, I'll be mad if you can't come to set tomorrow cause your eyes have been plucked out by a cassowary." 

Alec takes the helmet and sits behind Magnus as he restarts the moped, "What the fuck is a cassowary."

_Don't get a boner, don't get a boner_

Alec's mantra is NOT helping, doubled with vibrations and being able to smell Magnus' cologne. He's in a waking nightmare. 

Magnus pulls up to the outside of the resort, finally, where Alec jumps off, flailing like a baby giraffe, trying to put some distance between his dick and Magnus' ass. 

"You okay?" Magnus tilts his head, "Not a fan of mopeds."

"No it was fun, just my first time on one." Alec replies, wishing it was his first time with something else. 

Magnus rolls the moped over to a shack and stores the key in a lock box. 

"I wanted to say that we may of got off on the wrong foot but I do want good things for this movie," Magnus says, earnestly, "I know I may seem unprofessional or not educated like most in your field but I wasn't to be an actor, a good actor. And I know I can do it. I just need a chance to prove myself. You may not see it but I have a lot riding on this movie, I'm not asking for you to treat me differently. But I would like some of your trust, if you'll give it." 

Alec stares for a moment and speaks, voice breaking slightly, "I'm the same, in a way. I want this film to be great not just for Cat but to branch out and make a name for myself. Make proper art, on my own terms. You have my trust, I've seen that you're a good actor, so you also have my respect. If that means anything"

"It does mean something to me, I've seen your movies and I know you're good. Hopefully one day I could get to your level. I'm glad we're on the same page about this. I felt like our talk this morning was a bit rushed." Magnus said, they had been slowly walking to the reception area of the resort. 

"It's fine Magnus, I'm glad I get a second chance to make it up to you. Maybe one day I can earn _your_ trust and respect." Alec said.

Before Magnus could respond, clicking heels drew their attention along with a smooth voice that said, "Well hello big brother." 

"Izzy?" Alec said, jogging over to hug his sister. 

"Nope no, you're sweaty and this dress is tailor made. So hands off," She was dressed in killer heels with a tight black dress with a slit up the leg, she was far too put together for someone who had been on a long haul flight.

"I thought you were in Spain?" Alec said, trying to figure out why she was in the exact place he was. 

"Yes I was, you haven't introduced me to your friend. Hello I'm Isabelle." she said extending her hand to Magnus who took it and placed a kiss on the back. 

"Lovely to meet you, I'm Magnus. I must say I love the dress, very good call not letting your brothers sweaty pits touch...hmm mulberry silk?"

"Very good eye! I forgot you worked in fashion." she said, clapping lightly. 

"I'm sorry? Have we met before?" Magnus asked, confused.

Panic lanced through Alec's stomach at Izzy's meddling, not 3 seconds into arriving. "Uh why are you here Iz? Not that it's not great to see you."

Izzy flipped her hair behind her, "Cat hired me as stunt coordinator as the original hire found out he is deathly allergic to mosquitoes during the location scout."

"Do you know Cat?" Magnus asked.

"Oh yes we did a James Bond together, when she was a producer, we got along."

"It will be great having you here, does Jace know yet?"

"No, I plan on pranking him before he knows, maybe make him think he's being haunted or stalked."

All three heard a buzzing noise, they turned to see Raphael and Simon on a moped. Raphael looking like he was going to commit second degree murder and Simon acting like a drunk octopus. Simon saw Alec and Magnus up ahead and unlocked his arms from his death grip and waved hello. Noticing, Raphael then swung the moped in a wide arc and promptly flung Simon into a bush on the side of the road. 

"Hey asshole! That's not funny!!" 

Alec, Magnus and Izzy were all holding back tears of laughter.

"That's actually very funny," Magnus said, wiping his eyes. 

Simon, ever the rubber band, trodges over to the reception area and seems to be in good spirits despite being the victim of road rage, "Woah cool tattoo!" he says, pointing to Izzy's arm. On her wrist she has a snake wrapped around a few times, looking almost like a bracelet. 

"Thank you…?" 

"Oh! Simon, I'm Simon." he splutters. 

"I'm Izzy. Do you like snakes?" Izzy said, unknowingly walking into a conversation that she'll never get out of. 

Magnus and Alec both go wide eyed and shake their heads in an attempt to save her. Thankfully Simon kept his rant short by explaining that he wanted to get over his fear of snakes. 

"Well there's a zoo not far from here, let's go tomorrow." Izzy said, picking up her handbag. 

"Wait what? With me?" Simon looked as shocked at Alec and Magnus. 

"Yes I'll meet you out here at 10am." And she was gone with another flip of her hair. 

"Did she just ask me out? Is that a date or like a hang? I'm so confused, I normally have to pine over a girl for at least 5 years before I say anything."

Alec groans, "Sweet Jesus, just calm down. She's very abrupt, just ask her tomorrow." 

Alec turns to Magnus, "Thanks for the ride, I had fun."

Simon sputters out a laugh, while Magnus waves goodnight and disappears into the bushes.

"You had a good ride then?" 

"How old are you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the wait, I just started a new job and it's taken a while to settle in.
> 
> I hope you enjoy and please leave a comment, I love reading them!
> 
> Love,  
> Ari x


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